Ragetti's Sash
by Lauren Wagner
Summary: Ragetti has lost his sash and when Elizabeth questions why he's taking it so badly, Pintel explains to her why.


"Where is et?!"

Pintel was woken up by the sound of things being thrown everywhere and the protests of some of the crew.

Opening his eyes with a groan, Pintel sat up and found the entire bunk room in shambles as Ragetti stood shaking badly, whimpering to himself as he looked almost lost.

"Wot the bloody 'ell?"

"He says that he's lost something very important." Marty explained with a sigh, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Rolling his eyes, Pintel promptly got out of their bunk and he walked over to Ragetti as he began to dismantle Cotton's bunk next and he promptly grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.

"Wot the feck ar' ye lookin' fer?" he demanded, resting his hands on his hips now.

"Me sash!" Ragetti wept. "I can' find et anywheres!"

Looking down at his waist, Pintel noted that the red sash usually around Ragetti's waist was indeed gone.

His original annoyance gave way to pity then.

"Don' worry, lad." He said gently. "Et 'as ta be 'ere somewheres."

"Et were me mum's, Pint!" Ragetti wailed, his entire body starting to tremble now as tears and blood tears ran down his cheek. "Et's all I've go' ta rememba 'er an' me da'!"

"Oy, stow tha' cryin' will ye?" Pintel sighed softly, wiping away his tears with surprising gentleness. "I all ready tol' yer we would git et!"

"What's going on down here?" Elizabeth asked; stepping into the room to see what all of the commotion was about.

"I can' find me sash." Ragetti said, rubbing at his eye to try and avoid more tears in front of her.

"It was old and filthy." Elizabeth said with a slight frown. "Why would you care about something like that?"

Ragetti broke down then, and he fell onto Cotton's bunk heavily, covering his face with his hands. Awkwardly, Cotton lightly patted his shoulder in mild comfort.

"Oh dear…" she said softly. "Don't cry! We'll find it! Won't we?"

The crew nodded in agreement.

"Wind in your sails!" Cotton's parrot announced proudly.

"Why is his sash so important to him?" Elizabeth whispered to Pintel during their search.

"Et were 'is mum's." Pintel said and he then proceeded to tell her the story that Ragetti had once told to him.

…

It was the only gift that Leonardo Ragetti ever gave her out of real love; except for her son Mackenzie.

It was made from a strong and durable material, but it was soft to the touch like silk.

She let her son play with it when she was not working, a smile playing on her lips as he often tied it around his waist or neck, pretending to be a gentleman of high standing.

He would have been; she sometimes thought bitterly, if only she had not fallen for a pirate and been taken out of her own family that same day.

During her nightly walks for customers to give her a quick go and some coin, she wore the sash about her shoulders and at night when she came home and found her son still wide awake and waiting for her, she let him have it and he always slept with it held to his chest tightly.

She died wearing it when her pimp stabbed her to death and it was the only thing Ragetti was allowed to keep from his mother.

It stayed with him from then on, acting as a link between himself and his mother in a way. Even when the other street children mocked him and often beat him for it, he kept it tightly in his hands and it was because of this that he met and befriended Pintel.

Three older boys had got it into their heads to try and steal his sash to sell for some money, but Ragetti had fought them tooth and nail and when Pintel saw him refusing to go down without a fight, he decided to jump in and soon the three older boys were sent scattering.

They were never separated ever since.

When they were in the Navy, some of the other officers had mocked Ragetti for wearing the sash around his neck like a scarf, but when he was made First Lieutenant, all of their laughter stopped and Captain Montague had once even commented on his look and soon there were others wearing scarves around their necks as well.

When Ragetti and Pintel became pirates on his father's ship, it was his father who first tied it around his waist, saying that the color red had always been important to the Ragetti line as it symbolized power.

And when his father was found murdered in his bunk one night,(Ragetti always suspected that it was that bastard Bo'sun who killed his father), the scarf became a link to his mother and his father.

…

"An' tha's why 'e's actin' like 'is 'ead is cut off." Pintel ended with a soft sigh, glancing over at a whimpering Ragetti.

"Oh dear." She said softly, looking over at Ragetti sadly. "We need to find that sash."

"Aye." Pintel nodded.

They scoured the entire ship for the sash when it was obvious that it wasn't in the bunk and when they finally did find it…Ragetti let out a loud and piteous wail.

"What?" Jack asked innocently. "Don't you like the new additions to me hair?"

Jack had taken the sash and cut it up, braiding it into his dreadlocks.

Pintel held Ragetti tightly as the man buried his face into his neck, and he glared daggers at Jack, shaking his head as he rubbed Ragetti's back lightly.

"Ye know et were importan' ta the boy!"

"What? You mean to say that that old thing was actually important to him?" he repeated innocently and he was promptly grabbed by his hair and dragged into his cabin by Elizabeth.

"Feisty little wench!" he laughed before the door was shut.

Screams were soon heard afterwards.

Screams…from Jack.

…

"Why did 'e 'ave ta go an' use me sash?" Ragetti moaned softly, resting his head over Pintel's heart.

It was nightfall now and the two were in their shared bunk, Ragetti clinging onto Pintel tightly for some support.

"I don' know." Pintel sighed, running his fingers through his hair gently. "'e were bein' a bloody fecker 'e was."

"Et were me mum's…givin' ta 'er from me da'!" Ragetti said.

"I know, lad."

"An' 'e were the 'un wot firs' tied et 'round me waist!"

"Rags…"

"Were you looking for this?"

Sniffling softly, Ragetti slowly lifted up his head, and his eye grew wide in surprise.

Elizabeth smiled at him gently, holding up his sash. It had taken her a long three hours, but she had taken each piece and sewed it back together as best as she could, making sure that it was strong enough to withstand the perils Ragetti and Pintel seemed to fall into constantly.

"I daresay that it's stronger now." She said.

Giggling excitedly, Ragetti got up and ran towards her, and he hugged her tightly before taking his sash and tying it around his waist tightly, giggling happily as he spun around once, his sash seeming to dance around him now, as if also rejoicing at their reunion.

"Poppet! I can' believe ye done this fer me!" he laughed, looking up at her happily. "Et don' e'en look like et were eva 'urt or nuffin'!"

"I'm glad you like it."

"Bu' why ye done this fer me?" he asked.

"It's important to you." She said gently. "If I had something that reminded me of my mother and father, I would want to keep it safe too."

Noting the sad tone in her voice, Ragetti's smile faded for a moment before he then shook his head and lightly tapped her chest with one slender finger.

"Ye've always go' 'em." He said gently. "In 'ere…an' in 'ere!" He tapped her temple next and she smiled at him and nodded.

"I suppose you're right about that." She agreed and Ragetti's cheeks burned a deep red as she kissed his cheek lightly.

"Jack won't be touching your sash anymore." She promised, leaving a stunned Ragetti standing there.

"Bloody flirt." Pintel mumbled.

…

The next morning, everyone laughed when Jack finally came out of his cabin.

"Bloody eunuch loving cross-dressing woman!" he muttered darkly.

Jack Sparrow was now completely bald.


End file.
